Best Climate Change Grants in Texas

Texas agricultural and forest producers seeking support to enhance conservation and climate resilience on working lands can receive annual payments for maintaining and improving stewardship practices. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of Texas funds custom conservation plans that improve soil health, water quality, wildlife habitat, and overall climate change resilience and equity across entire operations.

National Sea Grant Law Center provides Texas climate change resilience and equity researchers with funding to study the effectiveness of coastal resilience laws and policies. Eligible projects examine issues like sea level rise, flooding, storm surge, storms, or land use. Awards of US $75,000 support two-year legal and policy research projects.

Agricultural producers, non-industrial private forest landowners, Tribes, and water management entities in Texas can receive financial and technical assistance to implement conservation practices that improve soil health, water and air quality, and wildlife habitat. Focused on climate-smart working lands, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of Texas supports projects that build resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Community Ties Giving Program by Union Pacific Foundation offers local grants aimed at enhancing community well-being through diverse funding priorities. These include safety initiatives, workforce development, community vitality, and environmental sustainability. The program emphasizes supporting organizations that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, aiming to create impactful projects that resonate with Union Pacific's heritage and mission. Eligible applicants must be nonprofit organizations serving Union Pacific communities and demonstrate a clear need and capacity to deliver effective programming.

RBC Foundation – USA aims to enhance community quality of life by supporting non-profit organizations that promote diversity and positive change. In 2023, it awarded over $2.8 million in grants, prioritizing youth programs for ages 15-29, arts access for diverse populations, and mental well-being initiatives. The foundation encourages sustainable projects that foster economic independence, providing critical support for education, mental health, and cultural enrichment, thereby making a significant impact across various communities.

The Earth Rising Foundation Grants provide financial support ranging from $200 to $20,000 for grassroots climate initiatives. The foundation emphasizes empowering Indigenous communities, advocating for sustainable agricultural practices, and addressing social justice issues linked to climate change. By fostering youth involvement and supporting innovative projects, the foundation aims to create a vision for a sustainable future that respects both people and the planet. Applications must be submitted through a US-based nonprofit organization.

Texas nonprofits with programs on confidence, inclusion, or sustainability that address climate change resilience and equity can seek up to US $10,000 for specific projects or programming. Aerie Real Foundation’s Community Grants support local efforts that build young women’s well-being, foster inclusive communities, and protect the planet, including work based in Texas.

Eligible incorporated organizations, tribal entities, governments, cooperatives, and other legal entities in rural areas can secure US $100,000 - US $5,000,000 to build broadband infrastructure and community centers that expand internet access. USDA Rural Development’s Community Connect Grants support projects that enhance economic opportunity, education, healthcare, public safety, and climate resilience, benefiting rural communities including those in Texas.

Undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral researchers at U.S. institutions studying fungi in climate change contexts can receive US $10,000 to advance practical, viable mitigation solutions. With a mission to support fungal-climate research, Mycological Society of America provides climate change resilience and microbiome investigators, including those in Texas, with funding for creative, fundamental or translational projects.

Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofits that are current Harris & Eliza Kempner Fund partners can request up to US $7,500 for strategic organizational growth, including climate resilience and disaster response capacity. Focus areas include resilience and compliance, governance, equity, data and impact measurement, advocacy training, and other capacity-building support benefiting the Galveston community.

Nonprofit organizations five years old or younger, or with annual budgets under $500,000, can seek seed funding for climate change resilience and equity work benefiting Galveston, Texas. Harris & Eliza Kempner Fund offers up to US $5,000 micro-grants year-round to build capacity and support community-based programs that create long-term local impact.

U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits supporting the Galveston, Texas community can seek climate resilience and sustainability funding through the Harris & Eliza Kempner Fund’s Resilient Island Core Grants. Awards of US $20,000 - US $100,000 back climate literacy, environmental justice, disaster preparedness, and cross-sector coastal resilience initiatives, following an eligibility screening and LOI process.

Grants from the Skoll Foundation help Texas climate change resilience and equity organizations scale proven social innovations addressing systemic problems. Legally incorporated nonprofits, for-profits, and hybrid entities working on climate action, pandemics and health systems, inclusive economies, effective governance, or racial justice may be eligible for Skoll Awards of $2 million in unrestricted funding and long-term support.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations serving veterans with climate resilience, environmental justice, or conservation initiatives can apply for up to US $100,000 in funding across the U.S., including Texas. Focus areas include environmental education, natural resource preservation, parks and recreation, sustainable agriculture, and related projects that enhance veterans’ well-being and access to healthy environments.

With a mission to fund transformational community projects, Impact 100 Wichita Falls provides Texas 501(c)(3) organizations in Wichita, Archer, Clay, and Wilbarger counties with major grants for programs, facilities, or equipment. Nonprofits working on environmental conservation, climate resilience, or related education can seek US $53,000 to launch, expand, or deepen high-impact initiatives.

Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving Harris County residents can seek US $100,000 for capacity building, general operations, or program support, including climate and environmental initiatives. Impact100 Houston supports work in environment and recreation, such as climate change resilience, environmental justice, conservation, and community spaces, alongside projects in health, education, arts, and family services.

Early-career social science faculty researching climate change resilience and equity in the U.S., including Texas, can seek US $35,000 - US $50,000 for one-year projects. Grants from Russell Sage Foundation help scholars study economic mobility, structural barriers, and systemic inequalities using innovative methods and data, with priority for underrepresented researchers and under-resourced institutions.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations can seek funding for innovative climate change research, ideas, and technologies that advance mitigation and adaptation efforts, including work in Texas. Focused on climate solutions, Mike & Sofia Segal Foundation invites projects that build partnerships, develop strategies, and strengthen communities for long-term, high-impact environmental resilience.

Graduate students in engineering, science, or architecture researching cement and concrete sustainability can receive US $35,000 for tuition, research, and related educational expenses through the PCA J.P. Gleason Research Fellowship. Grants from American Cement Association help candidates at accredited U.S. or Canadian universities, including those in Texas, advance climate change resilience and carbon reduction in cement and concrete.

Minority-serving institutions in Texas seeking to expand STEM research doctoral programs and infrastructure can apply for National Science Foundation CREST-RISE awards of US $100,000 - US $2,000,000 to build research capacity and graduate student pipelines. Grants from the National Science Foundation help institutions advance areas like climate change, clean energy, AI, data science, and other NSF-supported STEM fields.

Nonprofit visual arts organizations in Texas and across the U.S. can apply for Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s Frankenthaler Climate Initiative Catalyst Grants, offering up to US $20,000 for first-step or small, quick-turnaround climate projects. Funding supports clean energy, energy efficiency, audits, and sustainable practices in museums, galleries, art schools, and visual arts-focused events.

Graduate students in the U.S. researching wilderness-related climate change resilience and equity, biodiversity protection, or landscape conservation can receive US $25,000 for their work, including projects relevant to Texas. The Wilderness Society’s Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship prioritizes studies on BLM lands, old growth forests, or Arctic conservation that advance equitable public lands protection.

About Us

advancing the science of water ®

Who We Are

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.

5427 - Advancing Actionable Climate Resilience Metrics for Water Supply Planning

Grant Information

• Catalog existing performance metrics that consistently drive water utility operational and capital decisions, assess their applicability to support future resilience-based decision making under nonstationary climate conditions, and identify adjustments or alternative metrics needed to support forward-looking, resilience-based decision making for water utilities.
• Determine the appropriate level of climate resilience analysis needed to evaluate and apply climate resilience metrics, with requirements scaled based on metric sensitivity to climate change, decision context, and utility characteristics.
• Develop guidance to integrate climate resilience metrics into planning and decision processes.

About Us

advancing the science of water ®

Who We Are

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is the leading research organization advancing the science of all water to meet the evolving needs of its subscribers and the water sector. WRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems—all in pursuit of ensuring water quality and improving water services to the public.

5416 - Innovative Approaches to Extend Lifetime and Minimize O&M for Nature-based Installations

Grant Information

• Identify and evaluate innovative design, construction, and management approaches that extend the functional lifetime of nature-based installations and reduce ongoing operations and maintenance (O&M) requirements.
• Develop practical guidance on key factors affecting nature-based solution (NbS) longevity, including hydraulic optimization, engineered media selection and replacement, plant selection, sediment management, and construction-phase best practices.
• Survey utilities and other NbS owners to document current maintenance practices, costs, and hours, and establish benchmarks to inform targets for improvement.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is inviting proposals for projects that enhance coastal flood protection through public-private partnerships, innovative insurance products, and improved sediment management. This initiative aims to utilize natural infrastructure to bolster flood preparedness and resilience. Funding of up to $2,000,000 is available for selected projects, supporting research teams that collaborate with regional stakeholders. Proposals must be submitted via Grants.gov, ensuring accessibility to critical resources and information.

Melton Foundation

The Melton Foundation is an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization registered in the USA, and a leading proponent of Global Citizenship education and practice worldwide. Established nearly thirty years ago with the credence that collaborations across boundaries can forge sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges, today, our programs reach millions of young leaders, having crystallized into a network of over 750 life-long Melton Fellows spread across 40+ countries. Our primary operations are in Chile, China, Germany, Ghana, India, and the United States of America, with legal subsidiaries in Bangalore, India; Jena, Germany; Temuco, Chile; and Accra, Ghana. 

Through our fellowship and collaborative programs we promote and enable global citizenship as a way for individuals and organizations to work together across boundaries of place and identity to solve challenges in an interconnected world.

Melton Foundation Action Grants

The Melton Foundation offers grants year-round to support Melton Fellows in developing skills, perspective and wider networks to further their capacity as global citizens and contribute towards building an equitable, sustainable, and peaceful world.

In almost 10 years of granting, more than 100 Fellows’ initiatives have been awarded with a Melton Foundation grant to

• Build awareness and/or further awareness raising around global issues and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
• Develop individual and collective responsibility for sustained, collaborative action,
• Grow capacity to collaboratively drive and sustain social impact at the local and/or global level,
• Further the design, implementation and evaluation of collaborative actions that embody the spirit of global citizenship practice and further social impact, or
• Support coordinated social-impact efforts in a particular or across (emerging) Melton Foundation Hub regions to promote global citizenship practice (s) and the organization’s mission.

The ROSES 2025: A.16 Cryosphere program by NASA focuses on the vital role of Earth's ice within the global climate system. It aims to enhance understanding of cryospheric processes through satellite and airborne observations, addressing the challenges posed by the remoteness of icy regions. The program supports research on Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, glaciers, and Arctic sea ice to monitor changes and their impacts on sea level rise, ocean biology, and climate feedback mechanisms.